Recently concluded US Open Champion Emma Raducuanu started her next campaign on a losing note in the second round of the ongoing Indian wells competition.
Raducanu lost by 2-6, 4-6 in the second round, and this loss has ended her 10-match winning streak as the tournament is being conducted in New York. Her entry into the tournament came as a wild-card entrant into the combined ATP and WTA tournament in the southern California desert.
"Even though I might not feel 100% amazing right now, I know that for the greater good and for the bigger picture, I’ll be thanking this moment."
Emma Raducanu. pic.twitter.com/ubxppM7fcc
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) October 9, 2021
“I’m kind of glad that what happened today happened so I can learn and take it as a lesson so going forward I’ll just have more experience banked,” she said.
Former World Number 1 Andy Murray beat Adrian Mannarino by 6-3,6-2 in his first round as wild card. Murray fired five aces and connected on 82% of his first serves against the French lefty-hander. Murray converted three of six break points; Mannarino failed in his lone chance to break.
Leyla Fernandez, who lost against Raducanu in the US Open final, outclassed Alize Cornet by 6-2, 6-3, and the former hit 71 percent of the second serves and converted 5 out of 9 breakpoints in her second serve.
“Emma just won the US Open and I lost there in the first round,” Sasnovich said, “so it was a little bit different.”
Sasanovich got service breaks to take leads of 3-1 and 5-2 and close out the first 30 minutes without ever losing the serve. Raducanu took lead in the second set but Sasanovich broke for the fifth time and led by 5-4 before serving out the match.
In the other encounter, Iga Swiatek needed just 71st minutes to dispatch Petra Martic by 6-1,6-3.
“In 2019, I wasn’t playing that confidence, but I’m really happy that times have changed now,” Swiatek said. “In the second set, I lost focus for one game and she broke me pretty fast, so I knew I just had to keep going and not stop for a second time.”